we have a divided government. we have a democratic president and a republican house of representatives. i happen to believe that creates an opportunity. i did not vote for barack obama, but i do believe that having a president in one party and a house in another party does create an opportunity for us to work together in a bipartisan way. we know if my party won everything, it would have been tough for us. it is a political attack that would be taking place from the other side of the aisle. working together, i believe we can tackle this issue. that is really what we desire. that is the right thing to do. we are in the midst of a very tough negotiations taking place between two people. the president, and the speaker of the house of representatives, john boehner. i want to express my appreciation of my colleagues. i have been a minority. i have served in the minority from 1980 to 1994. it is challenging. it is not easy. we are a 11 days away from going over the fiscal cliff and we feel strongly about the need for th